Forget the roses and chocolates - get something different for V-Day.

Valentine's Day is coming and the old gifts are tired.  I saw a segment on the Today show this morning about out of the box Valentine's Day gifts and I thought the ideas were great.  So guys (and girls!) take note of these gifts and get them soon.  Shipping overnight is expensive, and honestly it's not always the thought that counts - the last minute gas station chocolates and flowers aren't exactly something every girl looks for.

1.  An alternative to flowers: flower jewelry!

Flower die (and seems the Valentine's ones die quicker because they have been harvested earlier to fill the need!).  Flowers are also expensive (you know very well that there is a huge Valentine's Day markup).  I loved the Today Show's idea of forgoing fresh flowers and getting flower based jewelry.  No one is stopping you from getting flowers any other time of the year and they will probably be half the price and twice as fresh.  Anyway, love the idea of flower based jewelry that will last forever.  They highlighted Liz Palacios's jewelry (available here) - her enamel and Swarovisky crystal rings, pins and bracelets are averaged priced (the ring to the left is $55) and actually are very pretty. 

2.  Find yummy heart shaped goodies instead of chocolates

  I'm always up for an excuse to sugar load.  And Valentine's day is no different (but then again neither is Halloween, Christmas, Easter... you get the drift).  And as good as chocolate is (well, for some people - I'm honestly not a huge fan of chocolate) chocolate is not the end-all-be-all Valentine's gift.  Besides, there is a whole lot of cheap and bad chocolate out there.  So why not do something different?  Like the Heart shaped Whoopie Pies from Crumble Cookie Factory.  They come in multiple "red velvet" colors and look amazing.  Besides, at $10 for 4 pies you aren't spending a ton of money on a box of chocolates with a mystery filling!  And we all know probably over half of those mystery fillings aren't good at all.

3.  Forgo the Champagne and go for bar ware.

Champagne is yummy - I love the bubbles!  But why not get something more permanent and go for personalized bar ware from Uncommon Goods.  The glasses (available in multiple bar ware glass types) are in scripted with two initials and a special date.  Bonus is that you can mix your bar ware - perfect for those who don't necessarily like the same booze.  A beer glass for him and a wine glass for her (or the opposite!) and it provides for a special way for you two to be connected.  Although, a great gift for a permanent relationship - might want to be something to pass up if you aren't 100% serious - although following a breakup the breaking of the glasses could be very cathartic. 

4.  Forget the wine, go for the wine-based beauty products!

Wine only lasts for a short time - but makeup lasts months!  And what woman doesn't like to expand the makeup in their makeup cabinet.  And Laura Mercer has an awesome package called "Off the Vine" on QVC right now for $66.50 that includes products to pamper your skin and utilize all the "in" colors right now.  And guy, you know you love that "natural" look but have to understand it doesn't actually mean that she's not using any makeup, just means that she's not using crazy makeup. 


5.  For the guys, forget the cologne and go for a shaving kit.

Lets be honest - very few guys need a new bottle of cologne and cologne is such a personal choice - the guy might not even like your choice (even if it turns YOU on).  So why not go for something he needs anyway?  A really nice shaving kit from The Art of Shaving.  While some of the kits can get kind of pricey... girls, you know you love a close shave.  The 5 o'clock stubble may look good, but it doesn't feel good on our sensitive skin! 


6.  The grand gesture for long distance relationships.

I'm a huge fan of etsy.  If you've never been to the site - you should check it out.  It's like visiting an art and crafts fair but online at your own leisure (and without the pushy salespeople).  I loved this idea of the Heartstrings Pillow for couples who are spread by distances.  All you have to do is give the etsy shop owner your two zip codes and she will send you a pillow with your two locations covered in hearts and attached by a big red string!  It's so adorable and will always be a reminder of your love. 

Cumulative cum.

This is a short, stream of consciousness post.  In reviewing some documents today I see the word "cum" mentioned many times as an abbreviation to cumulative. 

Is it just me or do things like this make you giggle like a 15 year old boy?  And in my head I almost always say it the wrong way.  ie cum like jizz instead of cum like the beginning of cumulative.

That's it, back to your regularly scheduled programming. 

Cheaters. You will get caught some how

So. Cheaters. You better not use your cell phone! 41% of people have caught someone through their call logs, texts or voice mails

I can't do it alone! Group dating...

I just saw a little blurb on the Today show about a new dating website.  Yes, another one, if you can believe it. 

But this one is different (and yeah, they all say that) - but this one really is different.

Enter.  Grouper (https://www.joingrouper.com/) a fishy sounding website name that matches groups of friends together to go out for a group date. 

You sign up, they match you with someone (not sure how they figure that piece out), you pick up 2 friends, you actually pre-pay for your first round, they tell you where to meet and then you meet up. 

It's kind of a neat idea, not only do you get to meet 3 new people, you get to drink and go to a new place that you normally don't go to! 

So far Grouper is only available in the bigger cities (DC is one of them!)  If someone tries it let me know!

Mr. Science...

I figured this was worth a share.

Whose fault is it? Blame Match.com

Honestly, I've had some really shitty dates in my life.  I'd like to blame someone for these bad dates, and a Las Vegas woman has taken the blame to a whole new level!

A 50 year old woman in Vegas is suing Match.com for $10 million after Match set her up on the date from hell.  We aren't just talking about a boring date or a creepy guy - this guy takes the take.  Mary Kay Beckman's date stabbed her 10 times in the FACE and CHEST in an attempt to kill her.  Dang.

And Wade Ridley (the date) didn't stop at stabbing her after the knife broke - the jerk stomped and kicked her in the head until she stopped making any noises.  And this wasn't the first time Wade had done this... while Mary Kay was in the hospital he was arrested for the murder of an ex girlfriend in Arizona.  His excuse - the bitches jilted him.

Now most people would chalk this story up to being a really (I can't emphasize really enough) bad experience in dating.  But Mary Kay, she's going to get even!  She's suing Match.com because they set her up on the date.  Match's response... "What happened to Mary Kay Beckman is horrible, but this lawsuit is absurd.  There are many millions of people who have found love on Match.com and other online dating sites know how fulfilling it is.  And while that doesn't make what happened in this case any less awful, this is about a sick, twisted individual with no prior criminal record, not an entire community of men and women looking to meet each other."

I'm liking Mary Kay's philosophy... Maybe I'll start suing the online dating services because my dates suck!

Naked Ebaying

I'm not sure about you, but I'm not one for doing everyday activities naked.  But apparently there are a lot of people out there who loved their nakedness!  Now, being naked is fine.... but taking your ebay pictures naked can be dangerous!  People everywhere (or at least these ones below) are taking pictures of their ebay merchandise and "accidently" including their own naughty bits.  And even worse - they POSTED these pictures... So enjoy... naked ebaying.